Vodka Made from Potatoes, in America

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How: McCann, who previously worked as a policy analyst for the state of Virginia, had worked in the restaurant business for most of his life. He put himself through college by waiting tables, and when working as an analyst, invested in restaurant partnerships.

In 2003 while sharing a drink with a friend, McCann said he was struck by the idea of making high-quality vodka in the U.S.

“I found there were only a couple of premium vodkas being made here in the U.S., and even fewer being made from potato,” he said.

From there, he set out to start Cirrus.

Quote from the owner: “All you have to market [vodka] on is the quality aspect, because you are very limited on the regulatory aspect,” he said. “In the development process we worked on the product and entered it into international competitions to establish equality amongst our peers before coming out into the market.”